7 Biblical Facts about the Angel Gabriel

Today’s post continues Logos Talk’s Christmas Bible study. Check back throughout December for more ways to study the birth of Jesus!

The angel Gabriel is one of the prominent characters in the Nativity narrative. He’s remembered as the angel who told Mary she would give birth to the Son of God.

But what else can we know about him from the Bible?

Before the onset of electronic Bible study, finding a slew of information about the angel Gabriel could easily have taken a substantial part of your Christmas vacation. But a quick check in Logos 5’s Bible Facts tool makes it easy to find out: I just look through the related verses and browse the Bible dictionaries the tool fetches for me.

Here's what I found:

Gabriel is mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. He’s known for bearing good news of Jesus’ coming birth, but his first biblical appearance is in Daniel 8:16, when he is told to explain a vision to the prophet.

Gabriel stands in the presence of God. This is how he describes himself to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19). The Greek word for “stands” is paristánō, which means to wait before a superior. The Septuagint uses this word to describe how Joshua served Moses and how David assisted King Saul.

Gabriel is one of only two angels explicitly named in the Protestant Bible. The other is Michael, a warrior archangel.

The Bible doesn’t call Gabriel the “archangel.” The Book of Tobit (of Catholic and Orthodox canon) identifies the angels who stand in the presence of God as archangels, and so Gabriel has been called an archangel by tradition.

Gabriel looks like a man (but see #6). The name Gabriel means “man of God” or “strength of God.” The second time Daniel encounters Gabriel (Daniel 9:21), he describes Gabriel as a “man [. . .] seen in the vision previously.” We don’t get any more details on Gabriel’s looks. Perhaps that’s because his messages are always so important.

Gabriel scares people. When Daniel meets Gabriel, he is frightened and falls on his face. When Gabriel greets Zacharias, his first words are, “Do not be afraid.” Mary’s greeting is more celebratory, but Gabriel still follows up by telling her not to fear.

Gabriel anticipates Jesus. Gabriel relays a prophecy concerning “Messiah the Prince” to Daniel. He tells Zacharias that John the Baptist will be a forerunner before the Lord. And most famously, he tells Mary that her son will be called “the Son of the Most High.”

Learning more about biblical characters helps to bring a richer meaning to the Christmas holiday. All this information and more is only seconds away when I’m using the Bible Facts tool in Logos 5. You can use it to dig up facts on the other people involved in the story of Christ’s birth: Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, the Wise Men, the shepherds, take your pick.

All of the tools used to find the information in today's study can be found in Logos 5 Starter and higher. Those with Logos 4 and lower can upgrade to Logos 5 and join us as we continue our Christmas Bible study.

This blog was originally posted on 12/7/12 on LogosTalk.com and can be read in its entirety here.